How to Install and Configure CCleaner

List of sections on this page:

• 2.0 How to Install CCleaner
• 2.1 Before You Begin Configuring CCleaner
• 2.2 How to Scan for Malware and Viruses

---

2.0 How to Install CCleaner

Installing CCleaner is a relatively easy and quick procedure. To begin installing CCleaner, perform the following steps:

Step 1. Double click to begin the installation process. The Open File - Security Warning dialog box may appear. If it does, click to activate the following screen:

Figure 1: The Installer Language dialog box

Step 2. Click to activate the Welcome to the CCleaner v2.33 Setup Wizard screen.

Step 3. Click to activate the CCleaner License Agreement screen. Please read the License Agreement before proceeding with the rest of the installation process.

Step 4. Click to activate the Choose Install Location screen.

Step 5. Click to activate the Install Options screen.

Note: The Install Options screen appears with the Add CCleaner Yahoo! toolbar and use CCleaner from your browser option enabled. Do not install the Yahoo! toolbar, which may compromise your Internet privacy and security.

Step 6. Click the Add CCleaner Yahoo! toolbar and use CCleaner from your browser option to disable it as shown in Figure 5 below:

Figure 2: The Install Options with the Yahoo! optional toolbar disabled

Step 7. Click to begin installing CCleaner and activate the Installing screen displaying the progress status bar.

Step 8. Click to complete installing CCleaner and activate the Piriform CCleaner user interface.

Figure 3: The Piriform CCleaner user interface

2.1 Before You Begin Configuring CCleaner

As described in detail in the How-to Booklet chapter 6. How to Destroy Sensitive Information, the Microsoft Windows standard file deletion methods do not erase the actual data from the disk (even when you empty recycle bin). The same applies to temporary files. To delete them permanently (wipe them) from the hard disk, the files must be overwritten with random data. CCleaner must be configured to overwrite files it deletes and thus securely delete them, as it will not do so in default mode. CCleaner can also secure delete old information by wiping the free space on the disk (please refer to section 5.3 How to Wipe Free Disk Space Using CCleaner).

Before you begin using CCleaner, you should configure it to securely delete all temporary files.

Step 1. Either click or select Start > Programs > CCleaner to activate the Piriform CCleaner main user interface.

Step 2. Click to activate the following screen:

Figure 4: The default About pane

Step 3. Click to activate the Settings pane. The Settings pane lets you choose the language you are most comfortable working in, and determine how CCleaner will delete temporary files and wipes drives.

Note: The Secure Deletion section appears with the Normal file deletion option enabled.

Step 4. Click the Secure file deletion (Slower) option to enable the drop-down list.

Step 5. Expand drop-down list and select the DOD 5220.22 M item from the Secure file deletion (Slower) option to resemble the following screen:

Figure 5: The Settings pane displaying the Secure Deletion options

After you have set this option, CCleaner will overwrite the files and folders you have selected for deletion with random data, effectively wiping them from your hard disk. The passes in the Secure deletion drop-down list, refer to the number of times your data will be overwritten by random data. The greater the number of passes selected, the more times your document, file or folder will be overwritten with random data. This reduces the recoverability of that document, file or folder, but increases the length of time required by the wiping process.